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Old 01-16-2012, 05:33 PM   #1
speakerpimp
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Default Advanced A-pillar build in 2011 WRX

Finally finished the pillars in my car thought I'd share...

So the build is based on a couple of goals I had for my pillars:

-I wanted the tweeters to be set as wide as possible to avoid a narrow soundstage
-Dual purpose, stealth and show
-no wrapping of the pillar for stealth
-show should look like the car should have came that way in the first place, nothing "over-the-top"

Here is my attempt at those goals I hope y'all enjoy!

So I started by taking measurements of the Stage 4 tweets and the cavity of the pillars so I could come up with a pattern that would accommodate everything, then I taped the pillars and transfered the pattern to the tape on the pillars for guide lines, I recomend a ball-point pen for that step.





Next I took molds of both outside and inside, and then cut the pattern VERY carefully out of the pillars. (don't drink caffeine that day!)











Next came the grills which I deliberated on for a while, the mold was only supposed to be about the thickness of the actual pillar so I figured pressure fit wouldn't be good enough. The solution I came up with was a magnetic grill made out of metal and fiberglass. this would solve several problems in one design. The grill metal came from an old Alpine grill which had the hole sizes I was looking for. I used the outside mold and laid from the inside.






My favorite part of all came next, it took eight hours just to drill out all the holes in the grills!!!!

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Old 01-16-2012, 05:33 PM   #2
speakerpimp
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The rings were made from two 1/4" mdf rings with an extra set of patterns made so I wouldn't have to use the actual tweeter for molding. More hours than I'd like to count went into listening to different angles of the tweeter and when a few friends and myself agreed on the best setup I prepared for the inner mold.






Time for more glasswork! This time in the car so I masked off the dash and floor. First coat was with the top patterns in place then removed so the resin could soak into the mdf.





Pretty straightforward filling and priming untill smooth to 600grit. I use Zchrome rust defender for a liquid filler. Preped for paint again to 600grit.




Last edited by speakerpimp; 01-16-2012 at 10:04 PM. Reason: continued
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Old 01-16-2012, 05:34 PM   #3
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The paint was mixed off of the plastic that is around the a/c vents and controls. It looked pretty good at first but on the final pass I went too thick and it almost turned black with blue and purple flake. I will most likely pull them out for a repaint in a couple of months when I feel like touching them again.








I think with a light coat and wet sanding with 1000grit got me the closest to the factory finish of the dash which has a unique luster.





Focusing back on the grills I went into the finish work of sanding for grill cloth thickness and height. Then they were primed and painted grey.










I then wrapped the grills in grill cloth paying close attention to the grain on the grill cloth and matching the direction of the grain on the pillars.





Last edited by speakerpimp; 01-16-2012 at 06:19 PM. Reason: continued
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Old 01-16-2012, 05:34 PM   #4
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I tested different amount of magnetic strength and came up with enough force to stay in during potholes but light enough to be removed by hand without a tool. I will hold the final test next time autox is in town











Next came assembly which I opped for a dynamat substance so I can pull them back out for repaint. After I'm happy with the color I will epoxy and clay them into place.



Last edited by speakerpimp; 01-16-2012 at 06:30 PM. Reason: continued
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Old 01-16-2012, 05:34 PM   #5
speakerpimp
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And final pics in the ride!!! This was a "fun" install to say the least. If I were to build another set like these I think I would pay someone else to drill the holes!!!







Thanks again for looking at my install!!! The doors are next and of course I'll take plenty of pics! Here's a shot of the trunk while I'm at it, which will also be a future thread when it's done.



Last edited by speakerpimp; 01-16-2012 at 06:44 PM. Reason: continued
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Old 01-16-2012, 06:00 PM   #6
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So far beyond awesome I can't even put it into words. Love the craftsmanship and the whole idea behind this. This will be a great/complete mod! GL!
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Old 01-16-2012, 06:06 PM   #7
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wow!!!!
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Old 01-16-2012, 07:10 PM   #8
sans meaning
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Fantastic job!
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Old 01-16-2012, 07:12 PM   #9
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Jaw has dropped. I am good with installs but I could never do something like that. Interested in building another set?!
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Old 01-16-2012, 09:36 PM   #10
AZ-GT
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Awesome, well done!
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Old 01-17-2012, 11:04 AM   #11
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Incredible job!
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Old 01-17-2012, 11:16 AM   #12
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Wow pimp, amazing work!! I will be talking to you about some custom work soon. Again, amazing work!
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Old 01-17-2012, 11:25 AM   #13
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Very cool build and install... maybe a stupid question, but you're not worried about the magnets distorting the sound from the tweets?? Awesome job none the less!
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Old 01-17-2012, 06:40 PM   #14
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amazing work, but I am confused what matieral is the perforated speaker/tweeter grill made of? how was it formed?

Rob
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Old 01-17-2012, 09:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zachfeen View Post
Jaw has dropped. I am good with installs but I could never do something like that. Interested in building another set?!

I did save the molds...


Quote:
Originally Posted by otbevo View Post
Very cool build and install... maybe a stupid question, but you're not worried about the magnets distorting the sound from the tweets?? Awesome job none the less!

I was very worried about this and asked the opinion of a couple of people who know more about speakers than me including a friend that beta tests speakers for Pioneer including the stage 4's. Everyone concluded it would have to be mondo amounts of magnetic flux to inhibit the magnetic field in the gap of the tweeter. Keep in mind the Stage 4 magnet is no punk in the first place. Also after hearing them with the magnets in I can tell you I hear no difference. Side note- the magnet on the stage 4 was trying to hold the grills in just by it's self and I would have rolled that way but I didn't think it was strong enough to hold through a gnarly pothole.




Quote:
Originally Posted by TXwrxWagon View Post
amazing work, but I am confused what matieral is the perforated speaker/tweeter grill made of? how was it formed?

Rob

It started as metal grill from an old alpine speaker grill, cut to shape and pre-bent so it would lay flat in the mold. I took the part of the pillar that got cut out and used it as a pattern to bend the metal with. Start with the outer mold that was previously made taped and secured on the outside and then the lay process was a thin layer of resin, metal grill(while resin is still wet), more resin and two layers of woven fiberglass(very thin) behind the metal grill. It will come out solid, so you have to use a grill material that has big enough holes to drill out.(there are other ways to do this but that's a different discussion) The drilling out is VERY time consuming trust me! But I think it's worth it! If there is a difference in frequency response from grills on/off I can't hear it. I will be taking in-depth measurements soon though so we'll see!

Last edited by speakerpimp; 01-17-2012 at 09:13 PM.
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Old 01-19-2012, 01:37 AM   #16
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cant wait to see the rest! i want your amps. i just made pods similar to yours on my 2011, mines sit on top not recessed. what hu are you using?
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Old 01-19-2012, 04:24 PM   #17
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Thanks for all the kind words y'all, the appreciation makes me feel less crazy for spending 60+hours on a couple of 4" inserts! Even though I plan on taking them out for a respray after a while, it feels good to have another part of the install "finished".


To answer your question bri_n_m, that would be the Pioneer DEX-P9 ran with the DEQ-P9 for processing, this setup allows for mad control from the listening position, and extremely short signal cable runs. Pics below, so what components did you go with?



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Old 01-20-2012, 01:26 AM   #18
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P9!! so nice. I have the stock hu > audison bit one > jl hd9005 > rainbow profi. Just started to make a box for a alumapro. I just found out zapco may be back so I think im going to try and find a zapco 650.6 and a P99RS? How do you like the P9?
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Old 01-20-2012, 03:30 PM   #19
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sweet setup! I hear the hd900 5 is a beast! How are you using the 4 channel part? Also what's the details on the sub? (size, box plans)

The P9 is the best radio I can afford, there are actually a couple of Pioneer/carozzeria units that are better and I can even get my hands on the tippy top unit, but I can't afford it right now or anytime soon. I also could run a Denon DCT-1 I'm sitting on but I don't have a processor to go with it currently. I auditioned a p99rs but I just can't live with the remote. I even tried using the P9's remote (which is awesome) on the p99rs but only a couple of functions worked. So bummed about them botching the remote on that sexy,sexy radio...Anyways my hommie kolten493 hipped me to the new hotness the other day, say hello to next best thing!!!!

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...vers/DEH-80PRS
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Old 01-21-2012, 10:59 PM   #20
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Killer job! The came out amazing! Looks like there is a good amount of room behind the A-Pillar covers....

Assuming those are the Stage 4 pioneer tweets? If so how are you liking them?
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Old 01-22-2012, 11:53 AM   #21
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Thanks bro, they are the stage4 components. They are amazing for sure, I normally go for european drivers but I had a hommie run them in his truck and after getting to play with them a bunch I decided to run them myself. It was still a close decision between the "usual" high-end stuff, HAT, and these.
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Old 01-22-2012, 02:07 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by speakerpimp View Post
Thanks bro, they are the stage4 components. They are amazing for sure, I normally go for european drivers but I had a hommie run them in his truck and after getting to play with them a bunch I decided to run them myself. It was still a close decision between the "usual" high-end stuff, HAT, and these.
Good to hear you like them. I used to be HUGE in to car audio back in the day. Back then I used Canton or Dynaudio driver's as Pioneer didn't really have anything in that realm of quality. I have ALWAYS been a fan of their HU's and processing! ODR was way ahead of it's time and before I switched to a McIntosh MX406 I used a DEX P99 for years and I LOVED that head unit.

I would like to do a simple setup in my 08 STi but I really want to find some original Canton's if I can. Would love to build a tweeter setup like yours!

What I like the most is the idea of glassing the grill for shape and thickness. Of course the downside is drilling out all of those damn holes! Keep the goodness coming!
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Old 01-22-2012, 02:21 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by speakerpimp View Post
sweet setup! I hear the hd900 5 is a beast! How are you using the 4 channel part? Also what's the details on the sub? (size, box plans)

The P9 is the best radio I can afford, there are actually a couple of Pioneer/carozzeria units that are better and I can even get my hands on the tippy top unit, but I can't afford it right now or anytime soon. I also could run a Denon DCT-1 I'm sitting on but I don't have a processor to go with it currently. I auditioned a p99rs but I just can't live with the remote. I even tried using the P9's remote (which is awesome) on the p99rs but only a couple of functions worked. So bummed about them botching the remote on that sexy,sexy radio...Anyways my hommie kolten493 hipped me to the new hotness the other day, say hello to next best thing!!!!

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...vers/DEH-80PRS
It's a pretty nice amp for its size. I'm using the bit one for full active, channel per speaker to the tweet/tweet/woofer/woofer. no rears. i'm probably going to use a alumapro 12. i made a fiberglas mold of the left side of the trunk last week, just laid more fiberglass to make it thicker.

that deck is nice! i may have to wait to see if i really need the p99. i really want the p99 though, so nice. ive always wanted a denon, especially after my nakamichi cd700. i should have never sold that...along with my drz9255.
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Old 01-23-2012, 07:32 PM   #24
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Awesome work!!!! Can't wait to see what you do with my trunk!!
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Old 01-23-2012, 08:41 PM   #25
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Sweet setup, im planning on doing component sets in my 06 wagon come spring. nice to see some real craftsmanship go into the sound setup.
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